Too Hot
by Cliffhanger Monster
Summary: Jack O'Malley and Cassie Ellis are dating and couldn't be happier, she is back working at the station and loves it. But someone targets Cassie, invading her aparment and stalking her. Jack O'Malley won't let him hurt the one he loves.
1. Sleep

**I will put the disclaimer on the first chapter only, I do not own the O'Malley series, and Dee Henderson does. I only love to write about Jack and Cassie. Plz read and review, suggestions are helpful and criticism only if it is constructive. I will write another chapter if I get some reviews.**

_She was suffocating, intense heat surrounded her from all over and she could hear the screaming of a small child in the room ahead of her. She was on all fours in her firefighter gear but she seemed to not be getting enough air. Debris was falling all around her but she continued towards the screaming. She reached a closed door, smoke coming from under the door and stinging her already sore eyes. She reached up and pulled open the door, smoke billowed out and fire reached out at her like a hungry burning beast. She crawled into the room towards the screaming child; she pushed burnt toys away from her. She didn't see the overhead chandelier until it crashed right beside her, she panicked for a moment until she realized it had missed her. She sees the little four-year-old girl leaning against a wall to the far left of her crying in pink pajamas. She continues towards the girl, she hears other firefighters close by retrieving other family members from the burning home. She reached the girl and gathered her up in her arms, gentle so not to scare her. She sees the roof of the room was about to collapse and races for the door, dodging fiery debris, she reaches the door and in front of her is her partner Ash, she smiles and hands the girl to Ash. Ash turns and she went to follow, hearing a rumble behind her she mistakenly turns and a sees a blast of fire coming right at her face. She instantly put her hand to her face and heard Jack yelling for her. She fell and began to black out from a lack of air, she could hear Jack calling out her name repeatedly, she felt herself being shaken._

Jack O'Malley had heard Cassie as he walked in from speaking with Cole about a recent fire. Cassie Ellis had just returned from Rescue Squad 65, she had been helping at an out of control blaze at a large estate house. She had come back exhausted and had curled up on a couch back at the station for a well-deserved nap. Jack had just returned from helping with a car crash only to hear Cassie crying out in her sleep. She was thrashing around and tangling herself up in the light blanket she had on her. She wore a long sleeved dark blue sweater with faded jeans. Jack ran over to her and called out her name, she had tears falling down her cheeks and she flinched when he touched her. He gently grabbed her shoulders and shook her trying to wake her up. She gasped and her eyes flung open, Jack stopped shaking her and she sat up. "Cassie, are you ok?"

Cassie looked up at him, the nightmare still having its hold on her, she said nothing. Jack looked down at her, concern filling his eyes. Cassie shook her head once and wiped the sweat that had begun to form on her brow. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck crying softly. Jack held her close, wishing he could take away all her pain. Ever since the nursing home fire that had injured her, Cassie never thought she would go back on duty, but when Jack's shift had become the target of an arsonist, she had to help. It had turned out to be a fellow firefighter who had died in the fire.

After that Cassie had become what she had been before the nursing home fire, a reliable firefighter who did well at her job. She also was falling in love with Jack O'Malley; he was the one who had gotten her to laugh again. He had stuck by her through everything she had gone through and showed her how to live again. She had just begun dating him and couldn't be happier. Cassie's mind began to clear and she calmed down.

Not too long ago she had had a disastrous fire rescue. She had gone into a house trying to rescue a little girl and had nearly been killed because of an oil lamp in the girl's room. That was what caused her to have the reoccurring nightmare of being hit by the blaze. The family had been rescued and no one was killed but Cassie had to take a hated ride to the hospital to check her out and help take the pain away from the burns. She smiled at the memory of Jack appearing in her hospital room. She was admitted for the night and was about to go out of her mind with boredom until she heard the familiar voice. Jack had rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard what had happened. Ash and Cole had been there to visit her, but they had to return to the station. Jack came into the hospital with a smile on his face; he pulled a chair up beside her bed and said with laughter in his voice. "You just like the attention when you come here don't you?" Cassie laughed and nodded her head. "Especially your attention." Jack brushed her long brown hair out of her face and kissed her gently. "I like giving you my attention." Cassie sighed; she knew why she loved this guy.

Jack smiled as he drove Cassie home to her apartment; she had fallen asleep in the passenger's seat. Her brown hair fell delicately across her face and her light breathing was soft. Jack drove slowly since it was the beginning of February and the roads were slippery from recent snow and ice storms. He had wrapped his leather jacket around her when she shivered. As he pulled into her parking spot, he woke her up. She sat up and stretched before opening her door. It was 1:30 am and they both needed some good sleep. She walked up the stairs to her apartment, unlocking the door and letting herself and Jack in. Bj leaped out from her hiding place and playfully attacked Jack's feet. Cassie laughed; Jack looked down at the kitten smiling. "Why me, I'm not the one who forgot to feed you this morning." He untangled the kitten from his shoelaces and put her on the couch. Jack yawned and sat on the couch, Cassie plopped on the couch beside him. He reached over and took her hand pulling her towards him. _God, thank you for not letting her get hurt badly._ Cassie laid her head on his shoulder and rested. Bj came up and curled up in a ball in a tiny space between Jack and Cassie. Jack ran his fingers through Cassie's hair. When Cassie began to fall asleep, again Jack stirred her and pointed at her bedroom. She nodded and went to go to bed, but before she did, she brought Jack out some blankets and a pillow. When he started to protest, she simply put her finger to his lips. "It is slippery out and you are too tired to drive home. You can sleep on the couch." She laughed as he moved her finger from his lips and nodded. "I wouldn't want you to kill me if anything happened to me." Cassie nodded. "I would." Jack laughed and kissed her before lying on the couch. Cassie walked back to her bedroom and lay down on the comfortable bed. She sighed and fell asleep thinking about Jack.

He had watched as Cassie and her friend went into her apartment, and waited for the man she was with to leave, he waited a few hours before realizing he wasn't leaving. He decided to enter the apartment hoping Cassie and her friend had fallen asleep. He kept his gun in his pocket and began his walk towards the building with one person in mind, Cassie.

He grabbed hold of the fire escape ladder and pulled himself up, he made as little noise as he could so not to wake anyone up. He climbed to where the window to Cassie's bedroom was. She had foolishly forgotten to lock it. He carefully opened it and stepped in; the room was dark and warm. He left the window open in case he needed a quick escape. He walked over to the bed where Cassie lay asleep. Cassie shivered a bit and pulled the covers closer to her. He looked out and on her couch was the man he had seen enter the house with. He was a big man, muscled with dark hair. He knew he didn't want to wake him up. He walked over to the door and closed it softly so he wouldn't wake up.

What he didn't know was that Jack had acute hearing and heard the door creak softly as it closed. He lifted his head up and perked a brow wondering why it was closed. Jack had a bad feeling and got up quietly. He leaned over Cassie and reached for the gun he carried, just as he pulled out the gun the door opened. Jack ran in and tackled the guy away from Cassie, both of them landing on the floor. Cassie jumped up and got out of bed. She opened her bedside drawer and retrieved the gun she had been given since she lived alone. She cocked it and that seemed to get the man's attention. He pushed Jack off him and ran over to the window, with a little blow kiss towards Cassie he was out the window and down the fire escape. Cassie turned on the light and ran over to Jack who groaned as he sat up. She had set the gun on the drawer and helped Jack up. The man had hit Jack in the mouth and Jack's lip was cracked. Jack wrapped his arms around her thanking God that he had heard the door. "Jack, are you ok?" Jack nodded. "Yeah I am fine, are you alright, he didn't hurt you did he?" Cassie shook her head. "I didn't even know he was here, and if you hadn't been here…" She didn't finish, she knew God had told her to have him stay for a reason. Jack rubbed her arms gently. "Don't worry Cassie." Cassie leaned her head against his chest. Jack let her go for a moment and locked her window, he took her hand and they both went and lay on the couch, falling asleep in each other's arms. Jack had to wonder, who was he? What did he want with Cassie, it wasn't a simple robbery, if it had been he was sure that the man would have killed Jack before going after Cassie? That would have been the smart thing to do. Jack would have to call Marcus in the morning and ask a favor. As Jack began falling asleep, he prayed. _God, please help me to keep Cassie from any harm._ He swore to himself that no one would ever hurt Cassie.


	2. Family Helps

Thank you for reviewing my story, I hope to see more stories on the O'Malleys, even if I have to write most of them myself..lol..

Thank you goblz for sending me your review. I loved your O'Malley story and hope to see more from you. I would never ever kill Jack, though I am sure by the time this book is over he might be a bit bruised up.

Thank you also potostfbeyeluvr for reviewing, I will continue my chapters so keep reading and reviewing plz.

CHAPTER 2

Cassie woke up the next morning wrapped in Jack's arms; she smiled and moved his arms gently so she could move without waking him. Just as she got up Jack pulled her back down. She laughed as she landed on his chest. "Excuse me, where do you think you are going." Cassie looked down at him with mock annoyance. "I was going to go get something to eat." Jack laughed and let go of her. "Sounds good to me, what are you cooking?" Cassie scoffed. "Who says I was cooking?" Jack sat up and stretched while looking at her. "You don't want me near any food, I like burning things." Cassie giggled and stood up. "I am sure you do."

She walked over to the window and smiled at the simple beauty of the newly fallen snow over the streets. A snowman stood in front of her apartment, she and Jack had made it just two days ago, there was snow on the baseball cap they put on the snowman. Cassie sighed remembering the man who had come last night, she was terrified but she had to act strong. Jack had saved her life yet again and she owed him so much. She walked into her room and shut the door to get changed into clothes; she was off duty today and fortunately so was Jack. She heard Jack through the door. "Can I use the phone to call Marcus, Cass?" So he was calling Marcus, he must be worried. "Yeah, go ahead and call. I am gonna take a quick shower."

Jack dialed his older brother's cell number hoping he wasn't interrupting anything at his work. Marcus answered the phone. "Hello?" Jack was relieved. "Hey Marcus, its Jack. Something happened last night." Marcus's voice immediately changed to concern. "Are you alright?" Jack couldn't help but smile. "Yeah I am fine, it's not me." Marcus stopped for a minute to breathe a sigh of relief before asking. "Is Cassie alright?" Jack bit his lip. "Someone came into Cassie's apartment last night, he had a gun." That caught Marcus's attention; he was most likely expecting something about a fire, not something like this. "Well is Cassie alright, did he hurt her…?" A million questions came at Jack. "Easy Marcus, she is alright, he got scared off by the gun you gave Cassie. " Yet again Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. Jack continued. "I am really worried about Cassie, what do you think I should do?" Marcus thought for a moment. "Do you want me and Kate to come over to Cassie's today?" Jack smiled; his family was always there for him. "Yeah that would be great."

Jack said good-bye and hung up the phone just as Cassie came out of her room after her shower. She wore a long sleeved black sweater and casual jeans. Jack smiled at her; no matter what she wore, she always amazed him. She wore long sleeved shirts not just because of the cold but also because of the scars that lined her arms. She only trusted a select few to see them; it had taken awhile for her to trust people to see her scars without getting self-conscious about them. "What did Marcus say about the situation?" Jack grinned, trying to keep a good mood in the air. "He and Kate are coming later today, if that's ok." Cassie nodded, relieved that his family were going to help her; she liked his family a lot. "Is Lisa coming as well?" Cassie had taken a liking to Lisa especially. Jack shrugged. "I could call her for you and ask if that's what you want?"

Cassie nodded and sat on the couch, picking Bj up and petting her. She was deep in thought, who was this man that had come last night. It was too dark to see his face and her hearing problem had kept her from waking up. She felt stupid for forgetting to lock her window as she usually did; she would have to thank Marcus for the gun he had given her because if that man had had a gun he might have hurt Jack. Then she thought of something, maybe he did have a gun. She turned to Jack who was staring at her. She blushed slightly. "Why are you staring at me?" He smiled and sat beside her. "Why wouldn't I stare at you?" He acted as though he won; she giggled and pushed him off the couch. He fell of the couch, he laughed as he sat on the floor. "Note to self, never stare at a woman." She kicked his shoulder laughing. "Didn't anyone ever tell you staring isn't polite?" Jack thought for a moment smiling. "Nope." Cassie stroked the kitten's head, the kitten purring contently. Cassie began to think and then asked. "Jack, did the man who came last night have any weapons?" Jack nodded his head somberly, the tension in the room growing steadily. Jack didn't want that so he smiled again. "Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you were?" Cassie smiled and thought for a moment before shaking her head and laughing. "No, thanks for reminding me." Jack laughed, enjoying her sense of humor. He looked down at his clothes and sighed. "I have to go home and change into some clothes; want to do something today before Marcus and Kate come?" Cassie nodded. "Definitely, call me when you are ready and you can pick me up." Jack nodded and walked over to the door, Cassie stood to her feet and gave him a hug, and he kissed her on the forehead and opened the door. Jack turned and looked at her seriously. "If anything happens, don't hesitate; call me or any other O'Malley." Cassie nodded and waved as he walked out. She closed the door and locked it behind him.

Jack stopped at his house, showered, and changed into clothes before heading over to talk to Cole and Ash. He pulled into the station and walked in, he spotted Ash talking with some of the other firefighters, so Jack went in search of Cole. He found Cole's office and heard talking from within, he heard a familiar name. "I know Rae, I will, talk to you later, ok bye." Cole sighed as he hung up with Rachel O'Malley. Jack came into the office and startled Cole. Jack laughed. "Issues with my sister?" Cole eyed Jack up before laughing. "Not really issues, just a lot of questions." Cole stood up. "What can I do for ya Jack?" Jack sat down and waited for Cole to sit as well. "Someone came to Cassie's apartment last night, through her window." Cole growled softly but said nothing, allowing Jack to continue. "Cassie allowed me to sleep on her couch last night, she had gone to bed and I had just fallen asleep when I heard her door being closed. I felt something in my gut telling me something was wrong so I opened the door enough to see a man standing over Cassie getting a gun out of his pocket. I tackled him away from Cassie and we fought a bit, Cassie retrieved the gun Marcus gave her and cocked it. It scared him off, but before he disappeared out the window and down the fire escape he blew Cassie a kiss." Jack took a breath, keeping his anger down.

He hadn't shown his anger around Cassie because it would have scared her. "So Cole, what do you think we should do?" Cole thought for a moment, keeping Cassie safe was important to Jack and him, and the thought of someone coming into her apartment with a gun made his blood boil. "We have to make sure Cassie isn't alone, was he in the apartment after you arrived or before." Jack racked his brain. Neither Cassie nor he had thought of checking the house and they hadn't heard anything when they arrived, both too tired to pay attention to much. Then he remembered something. "I think it was after, because Cassie's window wasn't open when we came back, when I tackled the guy the window was wide open." Cole shook his head. "He may have been in the apartment and opened the window in case he planned taking Cassie with him." That comment made Jack's heart freeze in panic. What if he hadn't been there? He shook his head ridding himself of those kinds of thoughts, he was there and he thanked God Almighty for her making the suggestion of staying. Cole continued. "If he hadn't been in the apartment when you two arrived means he was watching the apartment until she came. I don't want her to be alone, who is staying with her now?" Jack froze and Cole got the picture. "Get out of here and get over to her place, I will be over there in an hour to help figure this out." Jack nodded before sprinting to the door. "Oh and Jack," Jack stopped and looked at Cole. "Did you see what the guy looked like?" Jack shook his head. "Too dark." Cole sighed and Jack was gone. He rubbed his temples, so this is why everyone says Monday begins with headaches.

He had escaped easily, but without what he had come for. He hadn't expected the man to wake up but he had and spoiled his work. He didn't want to kill anyone but it was becoming obvious that he might have to rid himself of Cassie's boyfriend. He wasn't going back just yet though, he saw the boyfriend leave but he would be back soon and it wouldn't be enough time to get to Cassie and escape with her. He watched her apartment from his blue Chevy Tahoe. He watched as she stood looking out the window, she was beautiful, tall, chocolate brown eyes that would melt anyone's heart, and long soft brown hair. She wore thin-rimmed glasses that brought attention to her eyes. She hadn't seen his face last night, which was good. She wouldn't figure out who he was and he was smart to leave no traces of him. He turned the engine on and left awaiting another opportune time to act.

Cassie sat on the couch eating a bowl of Ramans when she heard a knock on the door, she set the noodles on her coffee table and looked through the peephole to see who it was. Jack stood there smiling holding two cups of coffee; Cassie laughed and put the chain on her door opening it slightly. "What's the password?" Jack chuckled and looked at her. "If you don't let me in you can't have this steaming cup of caffeine." Cassie pretended to consider it then closed the door; she unlocked the chain and opened the door. Jack walked in and set the coffee on the table. "Is bringing coffee the only reason you let me in." Cassie took her cup of coffee and took a sip of it so not to burn her tongue. "Nope, you were too cute to leave standing out there in the cold hallway." Jack laughed and took a drink of his coffee. Cassie walked over to her couch and sat down, she moved the book she had been reading aside and made room for Jack to sit beside her. Jack sat beside her and they began talking about random things, neither wanting to discuss what happened last night but knowing they would have to.

Cassie and Jack were watching a few old cartoons when they heard a knock at the door; Cassie started to get up to answer it but was pulled down by Jack. She looked a bit puzzled until she saw the look on his face, if anything were to happen he didn't want her there to get hurt. She was sure the man wouldn't come up and ring the bell, but since neither of them had seen him, they didn't know what he looked like. Therefore, Cassie stayed on the couch as Jack went to answer the door. She heard Marcus and stood up; she walked over to where Jack stood with his brother and sister. Kate saw Cassie coming over, went, and gave her a hug. Cassie smiled and hugged her back. Jack and Marcus were in deep conversation, most likely about last night so Cassie pulled Kate into the living room where they could talk.

The nice thing about Kate being a hostage negotiator was she could talk about anything. Cassie and Kate talked about Kate and Dave's upcoming wedding, Lisa and Quinn, and Jennifer. Talking about Jennifer was always sad because she was dying from cancer; everyone prayed she would be healed. However, she didn't seem to be getting better. Finally Kate asked her what had happened last night, Cassie had to lean forward a bit because of her hearing problem but proceeded to tell Kate everything. Kate listened carefully trying to understand just what had happened. It seemed like Cassie had a stalker after her, if it had been a robbery, he wouldn't have just shut the door on Jack. He obviously was after Cassie for something, but what. She would have to talk to Dave about this; Dave was an FBI agent and had dealt with a stalker, his sister Sara Adams had been stalked, so Dave might have some suggestions on how to get this guy. Since Jack was normally finicky when it came to women, so when Jack finally found the woman he loved, all the O'Malley's loved her.

Jack smiled as he watched how easily Kate and Cassie chatted, it had taken a lot to get Cassie back into life outside her apartment and her bookstore and now his family loved her almost as much as he did…almost. Marcus was in deep thought about what to do. "Does she have any family around here she can stay with?" Jack shook his head. "She doesn't have any living relatives." Jack looked into the living room again. "Maybe one of the girls could stay with her; they would keep her company and be able to protect her as well." Marcus smiled at Kate. "Kate would be perfect for the job; do you think Cassie would agree to stay with Kate for awhile?" Jack nodded his head. "Cassie is stubborn, but not stupid. She knows what would be best and I am sure she wouldn't want another trip to the hospital." Marcus laughed. "I just hope Bj and Marvel get along." Marcus shrugged and both he and Jack walked into the living room, Kate and Cassie stopped talking and Jack was surprised that Cassie seemed to be blushing. Kate was smiling up at Jack and Jack had a funny feeling he had been mentioned quite a few times in their recent conversation. Marcus smiled and playfully punched Jack in the arm. "You dog." Jack laughed.

Cassie listened to Jack and Marcus's plan but had to admit, she didn't like it too much. She didn't want to be chased from her home. She wanted to fight the threat head on, as you do with a fire but everyone acted as though she couldn't stay safe on her own. She liked having them watch out for her, and she knew they only wished for her to be safe. Kate liked the idea and turned to Cassie. "Cassie, this would help your problem, Dave has been through something like this before and so have I, plus I need someone I can talk about my certain brother with." Both Jack and Cassie blushed. Marcus let out a laugh and sat down on a stool in front of Cassie and Kate. "We want to protect you Cassie; this won't be permanent, just until we can find this guy." Cassie was still unsure. "I don't want to endanger any of your family though." Jack smiled at her consideration. "If this guy is fool enough to mess with any O'Malley woman, he is as good as finished." Marcus and Kate nodded in agreement. Cassie nodded. "Alright, I will stay with Kate for a little while. Someone had better tell Cole and Ash so they don't worry." Jack nodded. "I will do that; just remember not to stay up all night talking about that certain brother, because you have early shifts tomorrow Cassie." Cassie nodded and Kate laughed.

Kate and Marcus stayed for a few hours and they all talked about different things, they were laughing and joking around and it felt good to Cassie. Kate and Marcus sat on the couch across from where Jack and Cassie were sitting. Marcus was discussing the plans his fiancée Shari's made for their wedding, but neither Marcus nor Shari had set a date for the wedding. Kate talked about her plans for her wedding as well; she was most likely going to get married after Marcus and Shari. Jack listened with interest and kept his attention on Cassie, Cassie's hearing problems always discouraged her, so if she didn't hear something they said she would ask Jack what had been said. A pager went off and Cassie smiled as She, Jack, Marcus, and Kate all went for their pagers. Kate's had gone off. Kate sighed, "Robbery at the National Bank, sorry but I got to go." Cassie stood and hugged Kate. "When do you want me to come over to your place Kate?" Kate hugged her back. "Come tonight and we can get you situated." With that Kate ran out the door, they all three heard an engine turnover and Kate's car leave. Marcus looked at his watch and decided that he should go as well. "If anything happens, call me, no matter what time it is." Cassie nodded her head and gave Marcus a hug. Jack and Marcus hugged and then Marcus walked out the door.

He watched as the man and woman exited Cassie's apartment, first a young woman he had seen on TV before, her name Kate O'Malley, the other a man. He didn't know the man though. He didn't think the boyfriend would be dumb enough to leave Cassie alone tonight so he would have to settle for following Cassie around until she was alone. He would make her pay for what had happened four years ago.


	3. Rare moments

I want to thank everyone that reviewed once again.

goblz: once again, your review had me blushing and made me just want to write more, Plz read and review more. And yeah, Jack is gonna get bruised up plenty, so is Cassie.

potostfbeyeluvr: Thank you for reviewing again. It means a lot to me.

Islandgurl2286: Thank you for reviewing and giving me the suggestion, it was very helpful and I hope you read more and give me some more tips.

I want Ya'll to keep reading reviewing. Thanks Ya'll and I will write more soon.

Chapter 3

Jack sat on the floor leaned back against the couch watching a movie with Cassie. Jack had brought Cassie over to Kate's house to find that she wasn't home yet;

Dave wasn't around either, so he let themselves in and turned on a movie. He was staying with Cassie until Kate came over that night, Jack couldn't help but stare at her. She was lying on her stomach beside him with her chocolate brown eyes focused intently on the screen.

Jack barely even paid attention to the movie. Cassie turned her head towards Jack and flashed him a smile before turning back to the movie. _Oh yeah._ He thought to himself. _I could definitely get used to this._ Jack heard the front door unlock and Kate walk in, Jack got up to meet her.

"Hey Kate, what took you so long?" Kate laughed and set her things on the floor. "You don't want to know." Jack nodded, he and Kate walked into the living room where Cassie was turning off the movie. Cassie saw Kate and smiled. "I take it work was hard today." Kate nodded. "I'll tell you later." Jack mocked pouted. "You will tell Cassie but not me?"

Kate laughed and pushed Jack towards the door. "We have a lot to talk about and for the most part you can't be here." Cassie followed Kat laughing as Kate opened the door, practically shoving Jack out the door. Jack looked so cute pouting. "Don't I at least get a kiss goodbye?" Kate laughed as Cassie walked over to him. She leaned forward and gave his a long lingering kiss. Kate turned as she waited for it to end.

Once Cassie pulled back, Jack had a slightly dazed look on his face. Cassie took the moment to shut the door in his face. Jack let out an indignant yelp and walked off. Cassie opened the door and called out. "I love you." Jack's head appeared from around the corner smiling. "I love you too Cass." Cassie closed the door and leaned against the wall smiling.

He had followed Cassie and her boyfriend to small house, they went in and he waited. He nodded off for an hour or so until her heard a car door slam, he saw Kate O'Malley exit her car and walk into the house. _So, Cassie will be staying with the hostage negotiator._

He thought to himself. He waited a little longer until he saw Cassie's boyfriend leave the house. He had turned the engine off to remain inconspicuous, he watched as the lights in the house remained on. Once they turned out he would try again, and this time no mistakes.

Cassie sat on the floor laughing so hard she thought she would burst, Kate had told her many hilarious stories about Jack when he was growing up in Trevor House. Kate had just told her about the time Jack had watched superman on TV and decided he could fly too.

He made a red cape out of a towel and put it around his shoulders, and then he climbed up a tree and stood on a high branch. Marcus and Kate had tried to get him to come down and he did, he jumped off the tree branch flapping his arms and came crashing down to the ground. He landed on his back and just laid there for a moment. Not being too high he wasn't hurt too much, enough to leave a bruise on his backside and his ego.

Cassie couldn't stop laughing at imagining a mini Jack jumping out of a tree. "So Jennifer and Stephen pretended he was their patient and helped him get better." Kate finished her story smiling at Cassie. Cassie was perfect for Jack; they both had a great and sometimes weird sense of humor.

Cassie noticed that Kate kept a gun beside her the whole time but said nothing about it; the man wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything tonight. He didn't even know where she was….hopefully. Kate yawned and announced it was time for bed; it was nearly midnight when Cassie was settled into the room across from Kate's. Cassie lay down on the spare bed thinking about Jack. She closed her eyes and saw his smiling face as she slowly began to fall asleep.

He watched as the lights went off; he had been sitting for quite a while and was beginning to get neck cramps. He wasn't so sure about going into Kate O'Malley's house, she was known for her cool head in tough situations and he didn't want to risk exposure. He would just have to wait until Cassie was truly alone. He turned the engine back on quietly and pulled away not knowing that his truck had been spotted.

Cassie had heard an engine turn on and got up to see whom it was. She watched as a blue Chevy Tahoe rode away quickly but quietly. Her heart froze as she realized she had seen that Chevy Tahoe before, outside her apartment. She didn't even check to see what time it was, she ran into Kate's room and woke her up.

Kate groaned and looked at Cassie groggily. "What is it Cassie?" Cassie took a breath and proceeded to tell Kate about the Chevy Tahoe and she had seen it before. Kate looked at the clock and groaned as the numbers flashed 3:42 am. "So he left?" Cassie nodded. "Will you be ok to sleep in the other room?" Cassie sighed and nodded.

He had left and hopefully wouldn't be back, but the problem was he knew where she was, if that was him. She resisted the urge to call Jack just to hear his reassuring voice, but she didn't want to scare him. Instead, she lay down trying to push down the fear that threatened to overtake her. She soon fell into a fitful sleep.

_She was running! The faceless man was right behind her, so close that she could feel his hot breath on her neck. She ran down a long hallway, no doors would open for her. She could hear her heart beat quickening, adrenaline pushing her on. A small light appeared in front of her at the end of the hall, Jack stood at the end with his arms open wide encouraging her to run to him. Her lungs wheezed with running so long, her legs aching. She ran towards Jack but not matter how far or how fast she ran she couldn't reach him. She felt the man getting closer and suddenly with the sound of a gunshot, she fell. Pain ripped through her body and her breathing became ragged, she could hear nothing and see nothing. The last thought came to her mind as her heart slowed. _

_Jack!_

Cassie jumped up in bed; she was covered in sweat and tangled in the covers. She had nearly fallen out of bed. She untangled herself from the hot prison of the covers and got out of bed. She walked to the window and sighed, the sun was just rising.

Cassie knew that she wouldn't be sleeping again so she opened the door to her room and walked out into the living room. She sat on the couch just thinking about the whole situation. She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and a piece of toast.

Kate woke up to the smell of coffee being made; she wrapped a robe around her and walked out of her room. She wasn't nearly as surprised as she should have been to see Cassie sitting at the kitchen table staring off into space.

"Couldn't sleep anymore?" Cassie jumped at the sound of Kate's voice. Kate winced; it looked as if Cassie had had a rough night. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Cassie shook her head. "It's alright, I was just thinking."

Kate smiled. "You think too much." Cassie laughed and took a sip of coffee. "Not something you could say about Jack." Kate laughed and nodded. "I agree with that." Cassie seemed like she needed a few good laughs. Then a good idea came to Kate. "I have an idea, how would you like to take a shopping trip, just the O'Malley girls?" Cassie beamed; she loved how Kate counted her as an O'Malley girl. Cassie nodded. "I would love that, when would we go."

Cassie had just arrived at the station; she was a few minutes early for her shift. She walked in and was ambushed by Ash and Cole who both gave her a big hug. She smiled and hugged them both back, they had both been worried about her.

"Hey Cassie, how come you didn't call to tell us you were ok?" Ash asked, sounding a little hurt. Cassie smiled sheepishly, in all the craziness she had forgotten to tell Ash and Cole she was staying with Kate.

"I am so sorry guys, I was so tired and…" Cole cut her off. "Don't worry about Cassie; we were just worried to death about you." Cassie nodded. "Thanks Cole." She hugged Cole again and turned to Ash. "I promise to call you whenever something interesting happens, so you don't feel left out."

Ash laughed and playfully punched her in the shoulder. "You have been with Jack way too long Cass; he is rubbing off on you." Cassie laughed and pushed Ash. "I take that as a compliment." She felt arms entwine around her waist and smiled as she heard a voice in her ear. "I would hope so."

Cassie turned around smiling and hugged Jack warmly but tightly, the haunting dream coming back to her. She felt a small tear run down her cheek and she brushed it away. She held onto Jack with everything she had and was so happy when he returned the warmth.

The moment seemed to last hours when it only lasted a few moments. Cassie let Jack go and turned to see Ash and Cole had left the two of them alone. "So, how was your talks with Kate, learn anything new."

Cassie smiled and nodded her head. "You bet I did superman."Jack smacked his forehead laughing. "No, she didn't tell you that one." Cassie nodded. "You bet she did, along with a few more very interesting but equally embarrassing ones."

Jack blushed slightly and that made Cassie laugh harder. "You aren't allowed to tell anyone." Cassie heard a challenge in the command and smiled slyly. "You mean like Cole, Ash, or any of the other firemen?"

Jack nodded his head. "None of them or you're in very big trouble." Cassie smiled. "Is that so?" Jack looked into her eyes and smiled. "No, not really." Cassie laughed and gave him a quick kiss before walking towards Cole's office.

Cassie had gotten Cole to allow her to leave as soon as Kate called; she was going to do something that she didn't normally do. She was going shopping, not for books but for clothes. Not that Cassie didn't like clothes or anything like that, she just didn't make a big deal out of it.

Cassie received a call from Kate around 1:30 pm, Kate was just picking up Jennifer and would meet Cassie, Lisa, Rachel, and Shari at the Chicago Mall. Cassie ended the conversation and headed towards her car.

She ran into Jack quite literally. She landed on the ground laughing as Jack looked down at her a bit puzzled but amused. "Nice bumping into you too Cass, where ya going?" Cassie took the hand he offered and stood up, giggling slightly. "I am going on an adventure I may never return from." Jack knew she was joking so he asked. "Where are you going?" Cassie smiled. "Shopping with your sisters." Jack whistled. "Yup, you're a goner, do I at least get a good-bye kiss."

Cassie laughed and gave him a long kiss. Jack arms wrapped around her neck and kissed her back. Cole's voice broke the two up, both blushing and smiling. Cole smiled and began pushing Cassie toward the exit. "Get out of here Cassie, you are too distracting."

Cassie laughed as she walked to her car. Jack stood there for a moment with a dazed look on his face before Cole smacked him in the face with a rag. "Come on Romeo and help clean the fire engines.

Cassie arrived at the mall last; she had run into traffic and had run to the food court where she was meeting the girls. She spotted Lisa talking to Jennifer who was sitting down. Cassie's heart almost broke as she saw the run-down look on Jennifer's face.

Jennifer fought the cancer with everything she had but it was zapping her energy. Seeing Jennifer and the state she was in made her understand everyone's fears that she was dying. Cassie had faith in God, whether the good Lord chose to heal her would be a great blessing, however, if God chose to take Jennifer home then Cassie would try her best to help through it.

God had truly made an angel on earth when he made Jennifer, Jennifer was caring and wonderful, and she loved Jesus with her whole heart. Jennifer had been a key in helping her siblings to know Christ, as was Dave, Quinn, Shari, Cole, and Cassie.

Cassie walked over to Jennifer and Lisa, giving them both hugs. All three talked about different things when Rachel, Shari, and Kate joined them. Rachel and Kate helped Jennifer while Lisa, Shari, and Cassie strode ahead, they all looked in shops and were having a grand time. Times like this when they all could just relax and have a good time were rare and valuable to them all.

After the girls were finished with their shopping, they had about a dozen bags each. Cassie had never had any sisters, so trying things on with the O'Malley's truly had been an adventure. She had enjoyed every moment with them, already feeling as though they were her real family. She had bought a dozen outfits, especially something for Valentines Day.

She had stopped and gotten a few books at the bookstore. Jennifer got tired and they had to stop for the day. Lisa, Rachel, Kate, Shari, Jennifer, and Cassie all hugged. Lisa, Rachel, Kate, and Jennifer all got into Kate's car and Shari walked to her car. Cassie waved good-bye as they all left; she climbed into her car and headed off towards Kate's house.

He smiled as the day of waiting had paid off, she was alone and vulnerable, but he decided that she needed to suffer. His car pulled out behind hers, the back roads Cassie took to get to Kate's house were slippery. She had taken a short cut and drove slow. There was hardly any traffic on the road.

Cassie looked back in her rearview mirror and gasped as she noticed the blue Chevy Tahoe behind her. She began to drive faster to get away from him; the man's face she saw was a mask of fury. When she saw the face she realized who it was, it was a long time ago but she remembered him.

His name was Andrew Gregory Daniels; four years ago, his small house had caught fire. She had been a rookie and it was her first large fire. He had a wife, two small children in the house, a firefighter had pulled him out of the house, and Cassie was to go and retrieve the wife and children. Cassie had hesitated, feeling something telling her something was wrong. Just as she was about to enter the house the blaze intensified and the house exploded. Cassie was through forward face first to the ground. Andrew's wife, children, and four firefighters had all been killed. There had been nothing she could have done to save Andrew's family but he had seen her hesitate and since there was no one he really could blame he had blamed Cassie. Andrew had tried to throw himself into the flames so he could die with his family but Cassie stopped him. She grabbed him and pulled him away from the flames and towards Cole. Cassie could never get the hateful words or burning glare she had gotten from Andrew. He said he would make her pay. She had known from when she heard everything he had said that there was something very wrong in this man's head, he was sick.

As Cassie drove faster she hit black ice and spun out, she tried her best to get the car in control but her car rolled over a bank and landed on its hood. Cassie screamed as pain raged through her whole body. Her arm was caught in a horrible angle, clearly broken and she could feel scratches and bruises all over from broken glass and the brunt force of the wreck. She was fading in and out of conscious and couldn't see straight. Before she blacked out she saw a man open her door and then her world went dark.


	4. FIRE!

As Always I want to thank everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me.  
golbz: As always I love your reviews, I am trying to take anyones advice and yours helped a lot. Plz continue to read and review my story and tell me if I should make another one.

potostfbeyeluvr:I hope I am keeping you on the edge of your seat and about Jennifer, I am not sure. I might.

Red Ranger Chick: LOL, your post is funny, thank you for reviewing. Read this and find out, I love leaving off with cloff hangers because it makes the readers crazy to find out what happens next.

Well everyone, enjoy this chapter and I will continue writing another chapter once more reviews come in.

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Chapter 4

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Jack was about to end his shift when they got a call on a car accident. He got into his gear and Engine 81 rolled out with Rescue Squad 65. It had happened just recently, the car still smoking on its side. They arrived on the scene and Jack saw the smoke rising from the car.

As the engine rolled out he saw a blue Chevy Tahoe turning into an old apartment complex but he thought nothing of it. He jumped down to have a look at the car and felt as though his heart was torn out. There weren't many who drove blue sedans with a white stripe on it. He knew it was Cassie's car, no doubt about it.

Kate received a frantic call from Jack. "Please tell me Cassie is there!" Kate was instantly scared. "No, I thought she went to see you." She heard Jack curse under his breath; Kate tried to get his attention. "Jack. JACK!" Jack got back on the phone. "What did you find?"

Cole arrived a few moments after Jack to find Cassie's car overturned and Jack going out of his mind with worry and frustration of not being able to do anything. Cole knew that Jack was close to panicking, so Cole couldn't go nuts. He jumped down and examined the car; Cassie had been going fast when she spun out.

Cole knew Cassie and he knew that Cassie always drove slowly when roads where slick, so it didn't make sense for her to be this far out away from the road. Cole leaned down and inspected the inside of her car; he was distressed when he found blood on the smashed window, the seat, and the steering wheel. He wasn't going to let Jack anywhere near this.

Kate called Marcus and Lisa and told them what Jack had told her. Lisa kept her voice from shaking and agreed to meet them at the site, Marcus didn't say much but he also would meet them at the site.

Jack searched all around the site of the accident for Cassie, half wanting to find her and mostly terrified about not finding her. He had a look inside the car despite what Cole said. He saw the blood and just kneeled down and prayed to God that Cassie was alright. Tears streamed down Jack's face. Jack looked up to see Marcus's car pulling to the side. He jumped out and ran down to where Jack was kneeling.

"Jack, we will find her." Jack tried to be brave but everything that had been happening was too much for him, all he wanted was to see Cassie alive and well. Marcus had never seen Jack like this and it scared him. He sat Jack down on the bank and sat beside him; he put his arm around Jack's shoulder and waited for Lisa and Kate to arrive.

Lisa and Kate hurried as fast as they could to the scene, what they saw scared them. Jack was crying and Marcus was comforting him, but that wasn't what scared them, it was the horrible shape of the car. Where could Cassie be, they would have found her if she had just crawled from the wreckage.

Lisa walked over to Marcus and Jack while Kate inspected the area, the car had been going fast and had hit ice. The car had rolled a few times before it came to a stop and it didn't look fatal. Injury was almost definite which explained the blood, what didn't make sense was Cassie was missing….unless.

Marcus and Lisa were just calming Jack down when Kate jumped down to join them, she had a worried look on her face. "Jack, did Cassie tell you about the truck saw last night?"

Jack looked up at her; the frustration on his face was replaced by confusion. "What truck?"

Kate told him about the blue Chevy Tahoe and saw recognition on Jack's face, his face turned to where he had seen a Chevy Tahoe leaving the scene of the crime, his blood boiled and he stood to his feet. "I am going and getting her."

Cassie's head ached horribly; her vision was blurred from the trauma to her head and her missing glasses. Her glasses had most likely been smashed in her car. Her arm hurt ferociously and she could feel many cuts and bruises all over.

She couldn't remember how she escaped the car. She looked around and gasped when she realized she couldn't move. She was tied to a chair, her legs roped to the legs of the chair. The rope cut deeply into her legs and when she moved, even a little bit, it cut deeper.

Her arms were roped behind her back, which explained why her arm felt like it was being torn off slowly and agonizingly. She was in a bare room, one open window beside her making her shiver from the cold. The walls were dirty yellow and the carpet white with blood spots.

"Hello Miss Ellis, I am glad you could join me." The mocking voice was more then Cassie could take, she foolishly struggled against the rope and paid for it with pain raging all over her body. Cassie let out a sharp cry of pain and stopped moving.

"Now, don't hurt yourself, that's my job." Andrew stepped out of the shadows smoking a cigarette. He wore the same crazed look he had when Cassie had first seen him. He wore an old leather jacket and blue jeans with holes in them. In his mouth was his cigarette and in his hand was a .38 caliber.

Cassie stiffened at his words. _Lord, please don't let me die. _Tears streamed down Cassie's face as Andrew looked at her and then his gun.

He let out a cruel laugh. "What, you think I am gonna shoot you, you ain't worth it." Cassie didn't like where this was going. Andrew grabbed a can of gasoline and uncapped it. "You are going to die exactly like you let my family die." With that, he began pouring gasoline all around Cassie.

Jack drove to where he had seen the Chevy Tahoe pull into. The large apartment building was in horrible condition, hardly anyone lived here. Kate and Marcus had followed in their vehicles. Jack didn't want Lisa coming along, he needed firepower. Lisa had called Stephan and told him to come as fast as he could, considering the state of the car, Cassie would need it.

As Andrew, finished pouring the gasoline Cassie got enough courage to speak. "What do you hope to gain from this?"

Andrew looked up with a sneer on his face. "Revenge, you let my family burn so it's your turn."

Cassie shook her head slightly. "I didn't want your family to die, I would have gone in but the house..."

Andrew cut her off. "Shut up, I don't want to hear your excuses. You took my life away so I am here to return the favor."

Jack ran up the stairs with Marcus and Kate behind him, he could hear voices up ahead and a noise that nearly broke his heart, Cassie crying. He heard Marcus and Kate get their guns out as they neared the door to the apartment. He sniffed and looked slightly puzzled. "Do you smell that?"

Kate sniffed and nodded. "It smells like…"

Marcus and Jack's eyes widened as they finished her sentence. "Gasoline."

Jack barged into the room furious, seeing Andrew standing over someone in a chair made him want to throw him out the window. He knew it was Cassie in the chair but he couldn't see if she was ok or not.

Andrew turned and faced Jack with a sneer on his face. "Well, if it isn't the boyfriend."

Marcus cocked his gun and pointed it at Andrew. "Get away from Cassie and you won't be harmed."

Andrew laughed harshly and held the cigarette he had been smoking over the gasoline surrounding Cassie. "I've got nothing to lose, she does."

However possible, they had to keep him from dropping the cigarette; Cassie wouldn't be able to move and with the gasoline so close to her she would be burning within seconds of the lighting.

Jack slowly moved towards Andrew and Cassie while Kate tried talking Andrew down. He kept his hands up where they could be seen and when Andrew looked his way, he stopped and kept his eyes focused on Cassie. Cassie's head was down, Jack wasn't sure if she was still conscious but his heart ached with her.

Just as Jack was about to reach Cassie he heard a shot ring out, he felt intense pain in his shoulder. He heard Kate gasp and Marcus growl as Jack stumbled back towards them. It wasn't a shot aimed to kill just to get a message across.

"Stay away from her; I don't want to kill anyone else." Andrew kept his gun level but his voice was shaking. The cigarette in his hand getting lower.

Jack arm was aching horribly; the shot had gone into his shoulder, rendering his arm useless. Jack hid behind a wall with Marcus while Kate tried talking to Andrew. Andrew didn't feel like talking though.

Marcus inspected the gunshot and grimaced at how much it was bleeding. "Stephen is here, go down and get your shoulder fixed, we will get Cassie."

Jack shook his head. "Not a chance, I am not leaving unless Cassie comes with me." He watches around the corner with despair as Cassie looks up at Jack. Tears run freely down her cheeks, her brown reflect both her intense fear but also her faith God will do something. She has a long gash across her forehead and bruises on her cheekbone and temple. Her lip was bleeding from a cut lip and her one eye was swollen up. She needed Stephen's help quick.

Cassie looked down again and Andrew eyes blazed at something Kate had said about family. "I lost my family because of HER!" With that, he threw down the cigarette.

Flames erupted around Cassie at an alarming rate; Andrew just watched the flames grow higher, a crazy smile plastered on his face. Marcus took out his cell phone and dialed Cole's number, he told Cole to bring fire engines and get here, and he gave Cole the address.

Jack was going out of his mind as he watched the flames rise, Cassie screamed in pain as the flames reached her legs, and she coughed as the smoke filled the air. Cole could hear the fire engines racing towards them, but he had to do something. Kate grabbed onto Andrew and threw him on the ground, Andrew didn't even resist, he just watched the flames.

Jack held onto his bad arm and without much thought and a quick prayer her ran and jumped through the flames to get to Cassie. He heard Marcus yell at him and Kate call out for him.

The flames were intense; a ring of fire, growing steadily, surrounded him and Cassie. Despite the mind-numbing pain in his arm, he began to quickly untie Cassie, first her arms, he undid her arms carefully seeing the arm broken. He did her legs and slapped out the flames burning her legs. He lifted her gently into his arms and held her close. Cassie was unconscious.

Jack could remember what it was like to be trapped; it had happened when he had fought the fire the arsonist had set. He had accepted Jesus at that time and was able to get free. He closed his eyes and prayed that God would get them through the fire.


	5. authors note sorry everyone

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to u all; I am having problems with both computer and life. I promise that once I get everything straightened out I will put out my next chapters. Promise.


	6. God's Help

Hey Ya'll, I finally was able to put up my next chapter, I apologize to everyone for taking so long. I have been working on getting a book published and I had to work on it. But I am back in the writing mood for the O'Malleys. Hope ya'll like this chapter, review and tell me what you think. If I get enough reviews, I might even make another O'Malley story, of course about Jack and Cassie. Once I get some reviews I will put the final chapter up. Enjoy.

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Jack shut his eyes tightly while keeping Cassie as close to him as possible. He was coughing from the smoke around him; the flames were closing in quickly. His arm was throbbing agonizingly but he couldn't put Cassie down. 

Cassie moaned and opened her one eye. She felt as though she was in another nightmare and prayed to wake up. The intensity of the heat was overwhelming and she felt herself giving into the darkness that threatened to take over. Her one arm hung limply at her side, useless, she wrapped her other arm around Jack's waist and held on as tight as she could.

Jack felt her arm wrap around his waist and it lightened the weight on his arm slightly. He looked down at Cassie, his eyes watering from the smoke and from fear. He couldn't say anything, the smoke was too suffocating.

Kate was close to panicking, tears were running down her face and she couldn't see Jack or Cassie through the flames and smoke and her logical side was telling her there was no way they would make it out alive. Flaming debris was falling all around them from the old ceiling; the apartment complex wasn't stable to begin with, now it was on the verge of collapsing. Kate's logical side told her to run; it told her there wasn't anything she could do for Jack.

Kate shut her eyes and prayed hard for Jack and Cassie. After she finished her prayer, she opened her eyes and looked at Marcus. Marcus had a look of quiet distress, he wanted to leap into the flames and save Jack and Cassie, but he couldn't. He grabbed Andrew by the shirt collar; Andrew seemed to dangle in his strong grasp, as if he was no longer attached to reality. A large fiery piece of ceiling came down almost on top of Kate, Kate and Marcus ran to the door. With one final look at the flames, they ran down the stairs and out of the building, leaving Jack and Cassie in God's capable hands.

Rachel stood with Stephen watching the flames shoot out the open window. Her heart pounded so loud that Stephen could hear it. Rachel heard a noise and looked down at the apartment doors, out came Kate and Marcus, Marcus was practically dragging someone behind him. Rachel and Stephen ran over and gathered their siblings into warm embraces. Marcus, having dropped Andrew, hugged Rachel back. Stephen gathered Kate into his arms, all the emotions that Kate had been holding in finally broke, and she began to sob into Stephen's shoulder. Stephen, being the more comforting O'Malley, began to talk soothingly to her and rub her back. It was hard for them all to accept that they might never see Jack or Cassie again. Andrew lay on the ground just staring into space.

Jack was beginning to feel lightheaded and weak; his hold on Cassie began to slip. Something had to happen or he and Cassie would perish. He heard the fire trucks arrive and knew the procedure; the firefighters wouldn't be able to risk coming into the apartment because of the unstable structure. The fire had to be put out before anyone could risk coming up for them. He looked down and saw that Cassie was unconscious again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead for what seemed the last time.

Cole's heart was aching with the other O'Malleys, Cassie was like a sister to him and Jack was like a brother. He was good friends with them both and couldn't imagine how dull life would be without them. Cole watched looked up at the blaze and tried figuring out how they could get the fire out, they couldn't go into the building with an unsound structure and it would be hard to get the fire out with the hose from where they were.

Somewhere in Cole's gut, God was telling him to use the hose. Normally a standard hose would reach the window as high as it was. The water pressure around here wasn't powerful enough to reach the window. However, he knew that through God all things were possible, so he ordered the men to get the hose ready. They looked at Cole funny but didn't argue, not at a time like this.

The hose was hooked up and everything was ready, they aimed at the window with the flames shooting out and let the water flow. Cole nearly fell over as the powerful gush of water sprayed from the hose, it was much more powerful then he expected and it was hard to hold on. The powerful spray climbed higher and higher until amazingly it reached the window. The firefighters held it steady as the water surged through the window and began to put out the flames. Cole knew God was at work and he thanked God repeatedly in his mind.

Jack was ready to fall over and he knew it. He had prayed for a miracle to occur, but nothing was happening. Cassie kept coughing really badly and Jack's arm felt like it was being ripped off slowly. He couldn't hold out much longer. He heard the sound of water and thought he was delusional. He was reminded just how close he was to the window when a spray of water came through the window and began to douse the flames. Jack and Cassie were soaked from head to toe and it felt so good. However, the unfortunate thing was when the blast came through; it was so powerful that it blasted Jack over and onto the ground. The only humorous thing Jack could think before he blacked out was. "_Hey God, you couldn't leave me without a bruised behind huh._" With a laugh, he finally gave into the exhaustion.

Cole and the other firefighters walked carefully up the steps of the apartment, it was somewhat smart on Andrews's part to make it so high, but it made Cole hate him all the more. When they finally made it up to the apartment, where Jack and Cassie were two firemen had already almost fallen through rotten boards and one was hit in the head from falling plaster from the ceiling.

As they opened the door Cole prayed for Jack and Cassie to be all right, what he saw made his heart ache. He saw Cassie first, her arm clearly broken and bent, a swollen eye, bruises and cuts and a long gash across her forehead. She had burns on her legs and some on her hands from the fire and from the rope. She would need immediate medical attention.

Cole turned his attention on Jack; Jack's arm was bleeding from a gunshot wound in the shoulder. He had burns on his hands and some on his legs. Cole had to worry about their burns and smoke inhalation. Both Jack and Cassie were soaked and it might have been good when the sweltering hot flames were around them, it was dangerous now because of the freezing cold outside. Stephen walked in with his medical equipment and began quickly examining them to make sure it was okay to move them. He nodded and Stephen and the other firefighters wrapped Jack and Cassie in blankets. Because of all Cassie's wounds, three firefighters had to carry her down slowly along with Stephen, since Jack was as hurt, Cole and another firefighter carried him down the stairs. Cole smiled and said to the sleeping Jack. "You know, you are getting to heavy, time for a diet." The other fireman laughed and nodded.

Once they arrived down into the parking lot, they put Jack into one ambulance and Cassie in another. Marcus and Stephen rode with Jack, Rachel and Kate rode with Cassie. Andrew was taken away in a police car.


	7. The pain of waiting

_Hey everyone, I know it's been a while since I updated and I am sorry, I am still working on my book and it is taking up a lot of my time. The name of my bookis Changing Winds, it is an indian story. It isn't finished yet but it should be published by January.Maybe someday I will be writing a fanfic on my own book...lol..._

_I know this chapter is short but it is building up so no worries, once I get plenty of reviews I will update the last chapters and finish it out. I have decided that once this story is finished I wanna do a fanfic on Jack and Cassie's Wedding, since Dee Henderson didn't write on it. Do you think this is a good idea or bad idea tell me plz. _

_I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story, without ur reviews, tips, and advice, I wouldn't have continued, so thanks everyone...U ALL ROCK!_

_

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The intensity of the heat was staggering, he couldn't breathe or see. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest and his arm felt like it was about to fall off. He held Cassie in his arms, which was getting harder by the moment. Debris was falling all around him and the smoke in the room was becoming thicker. Jack kept praying that God would get him and Cassie out of this horrible predicament and then suddenly a jet stream of cold water came through the window and..._

Jack cried out and tried to sit up. He wasn't able to move much without this arm surging with pain. He wasn't sure where he was or how long he had been out. His eyes were slightly blurred from sleep and from the smoke, from what he could see, he was in a hospital room. He lay in a hospital bed with his arm hanging in a cast and sling. With his good hand, he wiped the sweat that had formed during his fiery recollection of the fire. He heard the door open and was happy to see his sister Kate walk in.

"Hey Jack, feeling any better?" Kate took the seat beside Jack's bed.

Jack sighed. "Not really, how long have I been out?"

Kate thought for a moment. "Since they brought you in last night."

Jack looked up at Kate. "How is Cassie?"

Kate looked down not wanting to meet Jack's eyes, Jack felt his heart wrench, she couldn't be...

Jack sat up slightly shaking his head, tears threatening to fall. "Kate, she can't be gone."

Kate looked up quickly and shook her head. "No Jack, she is still alive, she is just in really rough shape. I am going to go see her in a little bit."

Jack's heart slowed down but he was still worried. Without thinking he tried to get up, he struggled with the sling and ignored the pain shooting through his arm. Kate's eye grew wide and she stood up. "Jack O'Malley, what do you think you are doing?"

Jack continued trying to get out of the bed. "I need to see her!"

Kate shook her head and placed her hand gently but firmly on Jack's uninjured shoulder. He looked up at her with such a helpless look on his face that it almost broke her heart; she helped him lay back down and fixed the sling. "You can't do anything for her, stay here and sleep, I will be back soon. Marcus will come and see you in a little while." Kate gave Jack a firm look. "I don't want to hear from the doctors that you tried to escape the room before they let you so you could see Cassie."

Jack laughed a little bit. "I can't promise too much."

Kate smiled and kissed her brother on the forehead. "I love you." Kate turned to leave.

Jack smiled and called out to her as she walked out of the room. "Love you too sis."

Jack lay back in the bed exhausted physically and emotionally. He felt so helpless and even though he knew that he wasn't to blame for everything that happened he couldn't help but feel as though he had failed to protect the woman he loved. He closed his eyes and prayed that he wouldn't have any more dreams.

Cassie groaned in pain, everything on her hurt so bad. She opened one eye and was nearly blinded by a bright light. She couldn't move any part of her so she closed her eye again. Her head was pounding and her arm was killing her. All she could remember was the fire trying to take her and Jack, Jack had held onto her the entire time. She wanted so much to be in his arms once again, she couldn't help but feel responsible for putting Jack in such danger. She wasn't sure where he was, but she prayed he was all right.

She heard movement close to her so she opened her eyes again, to her relief she saw Stephen. Stephen came and kneeled beside her bed and kept his voice gentle and comforting. "Cassie, are you awake?"

It hurt to breath, so talking was out of the question. She simply let out a small groan to answer him. Stephen stood up when Kate came in.

Cassie could faintly hear them talking. "So how is she doing?" Kate asked.

Stephen looked down at Cassie then back at Kate. "As well as can be expected, the doctors managed to get her as comfortable as they could, she will have to have surgery on her arm."

Kate sighed. "Does she have more severe burns?"

"Yeah, on her legs, but the doctors will do everything they can for her. She was lucky that she doesn't have hypothermia from the cold."

"Is she awake yet?" Kate asked.

Stephen nodded. "Yeah, but she isn't talking, understandable. So how is Jack?"

"Jack is going out of what's left of his mind with worry; I didn't know what to say to him, but he seems to be doing better."

Cassie wanted to tell Kate and Stephen to tell Jack not to worry about her, that she would get well fast just so she could see Jack's smiling face and be in his arms, but it hurt too much, so she just closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn't have any more dreams.


	8. Making the most out of Life

Here is the **final chapter** of this story. Hope you all enjoyed it and thank you everyone for reviewing my story. I was planning on making another O'Malley story right after this one. This chapter took the longest to write and I'm not sure I did a very good job on it, u can tell me. Plz read and enjoy.

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Cassie sat in a chair, her hands tied behind her and she was in such pain. She was at the mercy of a madman; his only intent was to make her suffer. He ranted on and on about his family and although she felt sorry for his loss, she couldn't help but hate him for the pain he was putting her through. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, but the pain was unbearable. She was sure he was going to kill her. When he began to pour gasoline all around her, she knew what he was going to do. Repeatedly she prayed for God to somehow save her, she wasn't ready to die, not with Jack in her life. She put her head down and let a tear run down her cheek. Suddenly she heard the door burst open and she heard Marcus's voice. She thanked God for bringing them to her; she kept falling in and out of consciousness. Next thing she remembered hearing was a gunshot and Jack's groan. She looked up at Jack, her heart aching for him. Then things get out of hand, as Andrew dropped the cigar and ignited the flames. As in all of Cassie's nightmares, she is surrounded by flames, trapped and unable to free herself. Her eyes burned and she began to cough horribly. She was terrified; the flames burned her legs, making her doubt that she would make it. She saw the flames growing higher and higher around her, then suddenly the flames stopped going higher and went straight at her. She closed her eyes and screamed. _

Jack sat in a chair beside Cassie's bed, when she began screaming he jumped up and knelt down beside her, trying to wake her up. "Cassie, wake up please." She would quiet down slowly but the pain was evident. She would take a while to heal from this, longer then the nursing home fire even. Jack kissed her on the forehead and spoke softly to her, sometimes telling her jokes, sometimes just saying random things.

It had been a week and Jackhad finally beenreleased from the hospital. He had instantly gone to Cassie's room and stayed at her side. She was recovering slowly, the bruises were fading and the broken bones were mending, but the scars that Andrew left mentally were taking longer. She had the same nightmare almost every night; she woke up screaming from it. The doctors said it would be another week before Cassie could be released and she would need someone to take care of her at home for a while. Jack volunteered to takecare of her naturally, with the help of the O'Malley clan.Jack never left her bedside; one of his siblings usually joined him each day. Jack was glad that Andrew had been put in jail for a long time. Andrew is just lucky that Jack, Cole, and Ash weren't allowed near him, he would be toast.

Cassie sat in the wheelchair smiling. She wore a plain white t-shirt with a tan leather jacket, loose fitting blue jeans and tennis shoes. Her long hair was pulled back out of her face. The burns on her legs and arms were well hidden. She was finally going home, it had been such a trial getting the doctors to believe she was ok, but they relented in the end. All the O'Malleys were at the hospital when she was released. Jack pushed the wheelchair into the hospital lobby where all her friends were gathered. Kate went up and hugged Cassie. "I am so glad that you are ok."

Cassie smiled. "All thanks to you O'Malleys."

Kate smiled and nodded. "I can't wait until you are an O'Malley."

Cassie blushed and smiled. "You and me both sister."

Kate laughed and looked up at Jack. "Hear that?"

Jack nodded. "Yup."

Ash and Cole came over and gave her hugs as well. Cole smiled. "Don't think I am going to go easy on you at the Station, Cass."

Cassie laughed and nodded. "Of course Boss."

Ash laughed. "Can't wait till you are back partner, one of the guys said he and his partner were the best."

Cassie got a defiant look on her face. "That's not possible."

Ash laughed. "I knew you would say that.

Marcus came over smiling and hugged. "Glad you ok Cassie, you had us all worried."

Cassie sighed. "Thanks for looking out for me Marcus."

Marcus smiled. "What are brothers for?" Those words made Cassie feel so important.

She got hugs from everyone else in the lobby.

Jack wheeled her out to a car and helped her get in. "I want to take you somewhere special ok Cassie?"

Cassie nodded. "Anywhere with you is special Jack."

Jack blushed and closed her door. He got into the drivers seat and drove off.

Cassie leaned against the window, she watched the scenery go by. Jack was taking her to a secluded spot in the park, she was sure of it. He had brought a picnic with him, packed by his sister Rachel. She closed her eyes and let the coolness of the window cool her down. It was a nice spring day, the air cool and crisp. She pushed any thoughts of the fire from her mind, wanting only to think of good things.

Jack stopped the car and opened his door. He went to Cassie's side and opened her door. "Do you want your wheelchair?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, you can help me; I don't need that stupid wheelchair."

Jack smiled and took her hand in his. "I was expecting something like that."

Jack helped her out and let her grab the picnic basket. They walked slowly, Cassie hated being so slow, she also hated walking with a limp. Jack looked at her smiling and scooped her into his arms. She was surprised and let out a yelp, Jack laughed. Jack was careful not to hurt her as he carried her to the spot he had picked out earlier.

He set her down carefully and helped her stand as he laid out a green blanket to sit on. She sat down beside him and they laid out the food. They talked about anything and everything, avoiding the subject of the fire. Cassie laughed at the jokes that Jack told and felt as if everything was perfect. God had given her yet another chance to make the most out of life and she wasn't going to let God or Jack down.

Jack was so nervous about what he was about to do, he prayed for the strength and the ability not to stutter. He reached into his pocket and got out a velvet box. He held it behind his back and looked at Cassie's beautiful face. "Cassie, there is something I want to ask you."

Cassie's heart skipped a beat at his tone, she was getting nervous and excited. He sat right in front of her, looking directly into her chocolate brown eyes. As if in slow motion, he brought out the velvet box. Cassie thought her heart was going to stop. Jack smiled at her reaction. He opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring. "Cassie, will you marry me."

Cassie forgot how to speak for a moment. Jack waited patiently, allowing the shock to wear off and was caught off guard when Cassie tackled him, hugging him tightly.

She smiled down at him. "Of course I will." Jack placed the ring on her finger, smiling the whole time. Cassie gave him a tender kiss.

"You don't know how long I have been wanting to do that." Jack said.

Cassie smiled. "Let me guess, since the day you met me."

Jack laughed. "Ok, maybe you do know."

Jack's cell phone began ringing. Cassie let him up and he answered the phone. "Yes Marcus."

Cassie watched amused as Jack looked around the area. "Ok Marcus, where are you guys hiding and for how long."

Cassie laughed as Marcus, Kate, Rachel, Lisa, and Stephen came out from some bushes. "Talk about no privacy."

Kate walked up to Cassie and hugged her. "Welcome to the family Cassie."

Marcus and Stephen were talking to Jack, who was trying and failing to look upset at their intrusion. "So Jack, you finally asked her."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to for so long, and you guys bugging me helped even more."

Stephen pretended to be hurt. "Bugged, I was thinking more along the lines of sibling help."

Jack smiled. "Also known as bugging me."

Marcus sighed. "Whatever you say little brother."

Marcus, Stephen, and Jack joined the girls. "Time for a celebration." Announced Marcus.

They all agreed. Jack picked Cassie up in his arms again and all the O'Malleys walked to their cars to celebrate the engagement.

Cassie held on tight to Jack, knowing he would never let her fall.


End file.
